Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to articles of footwear, and more particularly, to sole constructions that may be incorporated into athletic footwear or as an insert into existing footwear and the like in order to store kinetic energy generated by a person. The sole construction has a combination of structural features enabling enhanced storage, retrieval and guidance of wearer muscle energy that complement and augment performance of participants in recreational and sports activities.
Description of the Related Art
In typical walking and running gaits, one foot contacts a support surface (such as the ground) in a stance mode while the other foot moves through the air in a swing mode. During the stance mode, the foot in contact with the support surface travels through three successive basic phases: heel strike, mid stance and toe off. The heel strike is eliminated with faster paced running and proper running form.
Running shoe designers have sought to strike a compromise between providing enough cushioning to protect the runner's foot, but not so much that the runner's foot will wobble and get out of sync with the working of the knee and lower body alignment. Typical shoe designs fail to adequately address the needs of the runner's foot and ankle during each of the stages of the stance mode resulting in the loss of a significant proportion, by some estimates at least thirty percent, of the foot and ankle's functional abilities, including their abilities to absorb shock, load musculature and tendon systems, and to propel the runner's body forward.
Another perplexing problem has been how to store the energy generated while running, jumping, etc. Traditional shoe designs have merely dampened the shock thereby dissipating the kinetic energy. Rather than losing the kinetic energy, it is useful to store and retrieve that energy while allowing the feet greater sensory perception, as in barefoot running, to enhance athletic performance. Traditional shoe construction, however, has failed to address this need.
Therefore, there remains a need for a shoe sole that will provide sufficient cushioning, adequate stabilizing support, and enhanced storage, retrieval and guidance of a runner's energy in a way that will complement and augment the runner's performance.